1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a support arm for a heart stabilizer used during a coronary surgical procedure.
2. Background Information
Coronary artery disease can lead to insufficient blood flow that can cause angina and ischemia. A coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgical procedure is sometimes required to correct this condition. In a CABG procedure an incision is made in the artery adjacent to the diseased area. The internal mammary artery of the patient is then severed and attached to the artery at the point of JP incision.
It is generally difficult to perform a CABG procedure with a beating heart. One solution is to stop the heart and connect the patient to a cardiopulmonary bypass system that supplies oxygen to the brain. Connecting the patient to the cardiopulmonary bypass system increasing the time required to perform the procedure and decreases the likelihood of success. Additionally, the heart must be successfully resuscitated.
There have been developed procedures to perform “beating heart” CABG procedures that do not require a cardiopulmonary bypass system. A heart stabilizer is typically utilized in a beating heart “CABG” to minimize the movement of the heart at the surgical site. Heart stabilizers typically include an end effector located at the end of an articulate arm. The end effector pushes down on the heart area adjacent to where the surgeon grafts the artery.
Historically CABG procedures are performed in an “open” chest cavity where the sternum is cut open. There have also been developed minimally invasive CABG procedures that are performed with the assistance of a robotic system. Such a robotic system is sold by Computer Motion, Inc. of Goleta, Calif. under the trademark ZEUS and is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,762,458. The ZEUS system can be utilized to perform minimally invasive beating heart CABG procedures. Minimally invasive beating heart CABG procedures require a heart stabilizer that can be inserted into a patient through a port. The heart stabilizer is typically held by a surgeon's assistant. The assistant may have to hold the stabilizer in position for a relatively long period of time. This may lead to fatigue. It is desirable to provide a mechanism which can support the heart stabilizer so that a surgical aide does not have to hold the stabilizer.